Monthly Archives: April 2011

Juan di Santo commented on a recent post and brought the KOKET brand to my attention. I just love the elegance and simplicity of the designs, it’s right up my street! The brand was created by New York born Creative Director Janet Morais, who wanted to inspire designers and push their creativity. She manages a team of super skilled artisans and jewellers who’s skills are impeccable. The pieces are manufactured in Portugal and available to buy through Interior Designers.

I’ve chosen KOKETS’ “Mandi Demi-Lune” stool simply for its beauty and striking gold turrets. This piece is designed to connote a cuff that a women would wear as a piece of jewellery around her wrist.

The base is made from stainless steel and the turrets from brass, the seat itself is low pile black velvet. The stool is 45 cm high and 53 cm wide and comes in black and gold or black and silver. Thank you Juan for telling me about KOKET their designs are exquisite.

Yesterday’s Royal Wedding celebrations went down a treat, with the table crammed full of traditional and exotic delights, the team at the National Design Academy thoroughly enjoyed the spread and of course the wonderful decorations!

It’s fantastic to see the whole team at The National Design Academy scuttling in this morning with bags full of treats and party food for todays Royal Fuddle. I’ve felt a little over whelmed by the Royal Wedding hype, but I must say I was up at the crack of dawn making ham and cucumber sandwiches excited for the celebrations.

The bunting is out, table-cloth laid and of course a Kate and William Union Jack flag spread across the back wall. I’m sat here writing this post with a huge urge to raid the fridge, especially the trifle which look simply divine! I even made another cake stand from my grandmothers vintage plates, crystal glass and a candle stick holder to add to the effect. Continue reading →

Designed by Graham & Brown specifically for the forth-coming Royal Wedding bonanza, this wallpaper will certainly add a touch of class to any room and be a hot favourite with Royalists’. Boasting black crowns and coronets bejewelled with self-adhesive coloured diamond’s which you can stick on yourself, it’s probably one of the only “Royal Wedding” themed designs I actually like.

The paper isn’t garish or tacky like much of what’s already advertised and the design is super glamorous which would be perfect for a teen girls pad, hallway or bedroom. You also have the added bonus of a 20% off selected papers on the Graham & Brown site including, I believe, the “Crowns and Coronets” design. So it works out to cost around £35 per roll after discount.

I’m not much of a Royalist and finding the wedding a little over bearing, but this paper has a thumbs up from me for its pure glam factor. Let me know what you think!

What a perfect accessory for your garden this summer. The “Hanna bench” by blends brilliantly into the background with it’s silk screen grass design, you wouldn’t even know it was a bench at first glance! It’s made from recycled and reclaimed boat wood and fetches around £550 fround on Freshome.

Today’s Design of the Day is a show stopper! I’m just head over heals with the Bahia Chair designed by London based design studio, 20age. This beautiful and vibrant chair has been re-upholstered in yellow velvet cord and green checked cotton by British and Brazilian duo Emma Phelps and Mauricio Varlotta.

Not only do the yellow and green fabrics sit perfectly together, they’re surrounded by a sea of 5000 coloured ribbons stitched on the back and sides.

The ribbons are seen as a lucky charm in Brazil and are tied around the wrist with three knots, each representing a wish and when the band falls off the wishes come true . What an uplifting concept and harmonious combination of English and Brazilian heritage.

Robin Birch, group Finance Director at the National Design Academy, has jumped on the up-cycling band wagon and embraced his creativity. Restoring old furniture isn’t just for the professionals, although Robin’s attempt is rather brilliant! He tells The Design Hub how he transformed unwanted items into a functional piece of furniture.Continue reading →

It’s the hottest new trend in the design sphere and I find myself banging on about up-cycling every week. But why not, Linda Barker‘s doing it, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and of course interior designers have been re-vamping tired furniture forever! If you’re wanting to save some pennies and transform your home don’t think you can’t have your cake and eat it, because you can!

Here are some examples of up-cycling by Interior Designer Karen lane, with a short guide of how to create the desired effect. So set aside a lovely Saturday or Sunday afternoon and enjoy being creative. If you need any advice on your project or want Karen to sprinkle some of her magic on your furniture just visit her website Autograph Interior Design or leave a comment. Continue reading →

Lancashire born designer and photographer, Stuart Haygarth, produced this magnificent light created from debris washed up on the Kent coast in 2004. The appropriately named “Tide Chandelier“, is compiled of clear and plastic objects measuring almost 5 feet in diameter, only ten were made.

The objects hang on monofilament line held by ‘split shot’ from a 1.5 metre square MDF platform above! This piece is so beautiful and innovative, the way each item is organised to depict a moon like sphere instantly captures my imagination and im sure that of everyone who see’s it.

If you love this piece as much as I do you must check out his website and other creations, they’re spectacular.

Thank you for the over whelming response to our Grand Designs Live ticket giveaway competition, we wish we could give everyone who entered a prize. The lucky five who have bagged themselves a pair of tickets are:

Sarah Parr from Derby

Rachel Davies from Telford

Asya Dudko from Surrey

Luke Anderson from Nottingham

Bridget Everitt from Cambridge

Congratulations to you all, your tickets are in the post and we hope you have a fantastic day at the event. Make sure you keep us up to date with how the day goes!